Switch shell



July 27 1926.

T. A. BOTH swn'cu swam.

File d Oct. 31, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEINTOR Afrokuiv July' v27 ,1926. I 1,593,649

T. A BOTH SWITCH SHELL A v Filed Oct. 31, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l Ill ATTORNEY Patented July $2.7, i926.

TONJES A. BOTH, or srna'rronn, coNNEo'rrcur, AssIeNon TO THE CONNECTICUT ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPOR T, CONNECTICUT, A. COR- PORATION or CONNECTICUT.

' sw'IrCH SHELL.

Application filed October 31 1919. Sierial I iTo. 3 3 1,657

This invention relates to metallic shells or casings for electric switches and the like which will receive standard socket switches and similar devices interchangeably, a i d which shall comprise upper and lower memhere which are adapted for quickconnection and disconnection and will be securely locked in place when connected. I II "With these and other objects in view I have devised a novel switch shell comprising a member provided with threaded spring engaging means, and a member provided with ashoulder upon whichthe works rest, with an internal thread, and at the baseof the thread and outside theshoulder with a circular groove or pocket which receives the threaded engaging means on the other member. I I I II I I I In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, I I I? Figure l is an elevation illustrating the application of the invention to the shell of a pull socket; I I I Figure 2 a section on an enlarged scale on the line 22 in Figure 1, the works being removed, illustrating a preferred form of the invention; I I I I I I Figures 3 and et are views, partly in slevation and partly in section, illustrating variations in the construction of the upper member. I

Figure 5 a view, partly in section, illustrating theapplication of the invention to a wall socket, the members being detached;

Figure 6 a similar vievt illustrating a variant form of wall socket, and I I,

Figure 7 is a view in elevationillustrating the application of the invention to a pendant switch. a I

Similar reference characters indicate the same part in all of the views. I

I 10 and 11 denote the members which for convenience I will term respectively the upper and the lower member, although of course the positionof the shell as a whole is immaterial. The lower member comprises a tubular body portion 12 at the upper end of which the metal is curved over outward and then downward forming a circular shoulder 13, which provides a support for the, switch mechanism or other works the shell is made to contain, and bel-owthe shoulder a circular groove or pocket 14:,at the base of which the metal is curved over outward and forming a flange 15 having a thread formed thereon. This flange terminates at a distance above the shoulder and the thread. thereon co-operates with,a thread upon the threaded spr ng attaching means of thenpper member, presently to be described. I have not illustrated works for the reason that the special mechanism contained in the shell is wholly unso far as the present invention is concerne II I I In Figure 2 I have illustrated a form of upper membercomprisinga cap 16, a deta chable skirt or sleeve 17 and engaging taching arms 18 having threads 21 at their lower ends. The attaching arms in this form are made integral with a curved disk 19 wh i ch is seatedinthe cap, the parts being s d ge her by heading over the lower end ofa central hub 20, in the usual manner. The skirt mayor nay not, as preferred, be attached to the spring arms. In the present instance I have shown the. spring arms as provided, above the threads with holes 22 which are adapted to be engaged by lugs 23 at the loweredgeof the skirt. These lugsrnay be struck inward from the metal of the sleeve or may be pins, as preferred. 24 denotes a recess in thesleeveto receive the shaftorfkey key sockets, or the chain guide pull sockets. The special advantage of this form isthat where the lead wires are short enablestheoperator to reverse the skirt from the position shown, recess 24 theneXtendi-ng from the upper edge downward, as indicated dotted lines in Figure 2, which is. frequently agrea-t convenience. In assembling, the skirt is placed outside the spring arms and pusliedup to place, the uppredge of the skirt passing-up under the loweredge ofthe cap and the lugs 23 on the skirt engaging the holes 22 near the means consisting of threaded spring r id bfthe pring arms The Skirt is thus secured tol the capbut may readily be detachedtherefrom by springing the arms inward sufiiciently to disengage the lugs the holes. alreadyexplained,,however, it is v notessential that the skirt be s ecured to 'e'ither capi or arms. I I

The form illustratedin Figure 3 differs only in that the .skirt 17 is made integral with the: cap, the engaging means being the same as before, i. e. spring attaching Ill arms extending from a disk centrally secured in the cap.

The term illustrated in Figure l differs from the form in Figure 3 in that, spring attaching arms 18- extend from the lower edge of the skirt, which is made integral with the cap, instead of from a disk secured in the cap as before. In all forms the attaching arms are made long enough so that in the engaging position they will extend down into the groove or pocket in. the lower member and will be locked in threaded engagement with said member by the inner wall 25 of the groove or pocket, that is to say wall 25 will act as a backing for the attaching arms and prevent disconnection of the members until one or the other of said members shall have been rotated suliiciently to withdraw the ends of the attach ing arms from the groove, after which the members may be separated by a direct pull owing to the resilience of the attaching arms. In connecting the members they are first engaged by direct movement of the members toward each other, which will engage the threads upon the attaching arms with the thread of the flange, after which the members are locked by rotation of one or both of said members relatively to the other. After the members are thus engaged they cannot be disengaged without first rotating one or both orsaid members backward sufiieicntly to withdraw the ends of the attaching arms from the groove, atter which the members may be separated by a direct movement, owing to the resilience of the attaching arms.

In order to provide a positive lock for the members when in the engaged position, so that long continued jarring and vibration cannot by any possibility cause disengag ment of the members, I make a U-shaped out near the lower edge of the skirt thereby torming a spring tongue 26 which is provided with an outwardly extending pin 27 and provide, near the upper edge of flange 15 a plurality of holes 28, either of which is adapted to be engaged by the pin and thus erl'ectually lock the members against rotation relatively to eachother. To unlock the members it is simply necessary to press the spring tongue backward far enough to disengage the pin from the hole after which one or both of the members may be first rotated relatively to the other and then separated by a direct pull.

In Figure 5 I have illustrated the application of the invention to a wall switch shell having an insulating base 29. In this form the spring attaching arms are secured to the base by screws 30 and in order to provide a neat finish for the structure the lower end of the base is provided with a shoulder 31 which. is engaged by a roll or bead32 formed at the upper end of flange 15.

In Figure 6 I have illustrated the application or the invention to a wall switch shell in which a detachable skirt 17 is used in connection with an insulating base 29. The spring attaching arms are secured to the base by screws 30 as before. The attaching arms may be provided with holes 22 and the spring attaching arms with lugs 23 to retain the skirt in place the same as in Figure 2.

The form shown in Figure 7 illustrates the application of the invention to a pendant switch shell. In this form the skirt and attaching arms may be made as in either Figures 2, 3 or 4, it being immaterial so far as the invention is concerned whether the skirt is made integral with the cap or detachable, or whether the spring attaching arms depend from the lower edge of the skirt or are secured to the cap, the modification in this form being in the lower member which instead of being tubular has a closed bottom with a central chain guide 33.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A shell of the character described com prising upper and lower members, said up per member being provided with threaded spring attaching arms and the lower member being of sheet metal having its upper end bent outward and downward upon itselr" to form a circular shoulder and then outward and upward upon itself to form a flange which is threaded for engagement by the attaching arms and also to form a groove below the shoulder to receive said arms, the wall of the lower member between the shoulder and the flange being of less height than the threads and so spaced "from the flange as to provide means for holding the arms in positive engagement with the threads.

2. A metallic switch shell comprising upper and lower sheet metal members, said upper member being provided with threaded spring attaching arms, and said lower mean ber being bent outwardly and downwardly upon itself to provide a circular shoulder for the purpose set forth, said lower member being also bent outwardly and upwardly upon itself outside of and below the shoulder to provide a circular groove and a circular flange outside the groove, said flange being threaded so as to be engaged by the spring arms, the wall between the shoulder and the flange being of less height than the threads and so spaced from the flange as to hold the arms in positive engagement with the threads to prevent disengagement of said members without first rotating one member relative to the other.

3. A metallic switch shell comprising up per and lower sheet metal members, said upper member being provided with threaded spring attaching arms, said'lower member being bent outwardly and downwardly upon Elf] itself and then outwardly and upwardly upon itself to provide a circular flange and at the base of said flange a circular groove, the member being threaded on one side of said groove to engage said arms, the wall on the inner side of the groove being of less height than the threads and so spaced from the outer wall as to hold the arms in positive engagement with the threads so that the members will be first engaged through the resilience of the spring arms by direct movement toward each other and then locked by rotary movement as the spring arms pass into the groove.

4. A switch shell comprising upper and lower members, the upper member being provided with threaded spring attaching arms, and said lower member comprising sheet metal bentoutwardly upon itself and then outwardly and upwardly upon itself to provide a flange and agroove at the base of said flange, said flange being threaded to engage said arms, said arms being arranged to pass into the groove by relative rotation of said members, and the inner wall of the groove being of less height than the threads and so spaced from the flange as to form a backing for the arms to hold them in positive engagement with the threads and prevent their disengagement from the flange without first rotating one member relatively to the other to cause the attaching arms to pass out of the groove.

5. A metallic switch shell comprising upper and lower members, said lower member having a threaded flange and at the base of said flange a groove, and said upper member having threaded spring attaching arms adapted to engage the thread of the flange and pass into the groove and look by rotation, means for preventing disengagement without first rotating one member relatively to the other, and means for locking the members against rotation.

6. A metallic shell comprising upper and lower members, said lower member comprising a threaded flange having a plurality of holes near its upper edge and havingat the base of said flange a groove, and said upper member having threaded spring attaching arms adapted to engage the thread of the flange and pass into the groove and lock the members by rotation, and a spring tongue having a pin adapted to engage a hole in the flange to lock the members against rotation.

7. A metallic switch shell consisting of upper and lower members, said lower member comprising a circular threaded flange and a groove at the base of the flange, and said upper member comprising a cap, threaded spring arms secured thereto and adapted to engage the flange, and a detachable skirt between the cap and the lower member.

8. A metallic shell consisting of upper and lower members, said lower member comprising a circular threaded flange and a groove at the base of the flange, and said upper member comprising a cap, threaded spring arms secured to the cap and adapted to engage the flange and having holes above the threads, and a detachable skirt between the cap and the lower member and having lugs adapted to engage the holes in the arms to lock the. cap in place.

9. A metallic shell consisting of upper and lower members, said lower member comprising a circular threaded flange and a groove at the base of the flange, and said upper member comprising a cap, threaded spring arms secured to the cap and adapted to engage the flange and having holes above the threads, a detachable skirt between the cap and the lower member and having lugs adapted to engage the holes in the arms to lock the skirt in place, and means for looking the members against rotation after engagement.

10. A metallic shell consisting of upper and lower members, said lower member comprising a circular threaded flange having a plurality of holes near its upper edge and a groove at its base, and said upper member comprising a cap, threaded spring arms secured to the cap and adapted toengage the flange and having holes bove the threads, and a detachable skirt between the cap and the lower member, said skirt having lugs engaging the holes in the arms to lock the skirt thereto and a spring tongue having a pin adapted to engage a hole in the flange of the lower member to lock the members against rotation.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

TON J ES A. BOTH. 

